We departed Port Klang, RSYC, on February 6, 2023, as planned. The fanfare was over, and a nice dinner with friends and family was complete. I bid my farewells, and we prepared to leave. The Maldives rally was set to open in Landhoo on March 1, 2023.

The sail towards the tip of Sumatera was, as expected, uneventful due to a lack of wind. This is typically what we encounter during the regatta here. We decided to head into Langkawi for a few days to take advantage of the duty-free liquor and to top up our diesel supply.

Destiny carries 110 liters of fuel in its tank and an additional 180 liters on deck. We also have 100 liters of water on deck and 240 liters in its tank. We decided to top off our supplies in Langkawi and check the weather conditions over the next few weeks before we arrived in Male, Maldives, approximately on February 26, 2023. This will give us time to clear customs and then sail to Landhoo for the opening.

To be frank - the main cause to stop was the alcohol, as we would not get duty-free items for some time, and alcohol in the Maldives is expensive.

The distance from Langkawi is about 1800nm with an almost straight line passage heading west and then heading WSW. The winds are forecasted to be from the North East ( as we are in the tail end of the NE monsoon)

Without a doubt, I knew that when I left Langkawi, there would be no turning back. My next stop was the Maldives. The watches were divided into four-hour shifts, starting at 8 PM for the evening watch. Meal duties were assigned to the crew, who typically prepared one large meal for lunch, with the leftover food being used for dinner. Breakfast usually consisted of cereals or bread.

On February 10, 2023, we departed from Langkawi, making our way to Male. Our initial course took us toward the tip of Sumatra. We were expecting light to no winds, as the northeast monsoon winds were being blocked by the landmasses of Malaysia and Thailand.

Engine most of the time! Between the noise and heat from the engine, the condition within the boat was uncomfortable, to say the least. After about two days of motor sailing, we got the clear NE when we cleared the Andaman archipelago. Then, the winds were on the starboard side between 80 and 100 degrees. This is the best sailing angle, and with winds between 15 and 20 knots consistently, we were sailing very well with a single reef on the main and a full jib.

When I do my estimates on distance per day, anything above 100nm I would consider a bonus, and for almost the whole trip, we were getting nothing less than that but mostly above 120nm per day. The weather was perfect, and the winds were steady. We only hit some rain once, which lasted about 1 hour. We had a good time in the first few days after we were on full sails. We had given the agent a revised ETA of the 24th based on the distance travelled.

We revised the estimated arrival time (ETA) to the 22nd at the halfway point of our journey. Destiny was performing exceptionally well. We recorded our best day, achieving a daily travel rate of 168 nautical miles, even without pushing her limits. This record remains unbroken through the end of 2024. Sailing conditions were favourable, and morale on board was high, as we did not encounter any major issues during the first half of the trip.

Our first issue was that our Schenker watermaker could not generate the required back pressure. Despite troubleshooting with the manufacturer, we had to resort to rationing water because we couldn't produce enough. We had enough water for our basic needs, but by the second day, we had to stop taking showers and could only wash dishes with fresh water. I worked on the issue several times but eventually decided to let it be until I could address it again in the Maldives.

The next thing that caused the problem was the electric toilet motor, which stopped functioning. We had to dismantle the toilet while the boat was heeling to the port due to winds from the starboard beam. It was an uncomfortable job, but we sorted it out within a few hours as we had a spare motor. So it was rain showers for at least seven days, but there was no rain! So we had to wipe ourselves and wait to reach the Maldives.

As we approached Sri Lanka, we started to see harmless fishing boats. Two boats approached us and asked for cigarettes and alcohol, both of which we did not have in abundance. Once we were in the shadow of both Sri Lanka and the subcontinent of India, the wind died down, and we had to motor for about 24 hours.

The balance of the sail after that was the same as when we went into the lee of both the above countries. The excitement was mounting for our arrival in Male, Maldives. We arrived on 22nd February 2023. ( note the date and numbers- 2202)

We anchored and waited for the agent. Our plan was to clear in and then head to Crossroads Marina.

Maldives

Maldives Rally 2023

First Leg - The Start